Beacon of Hope
by Ree-Dur
Summary: Real life was terrible, no one was happy, everyone sought an escape, then Beacon Of Hope was released. It as a game that could only be played in your sleep, and you only got one life. A few years after dying in the game, Jaune got a message: A Necromancer has just reanimated your Corpse. Welcome Back!


"Table 3." Jaune, a 22 year old man with blond hair and blue eyes informed his co-worker as he handed her a tray full of food he just cooked.

"'Kay." Velvet, a 24 year old brunette with chocolate coloured eyes, said with a smile as she took the tray and walked away.

Jaune sighed as he looked at the rest of the orders.

Sometimes he hated life.

* * *

"Oh, hey, Jaune!" His boss said as she walked up to him, she had a carefree smile on her face. "Thanks for covering again."

"Y'know what Coco? I would say no problem, but I think it is a problem that I constantly have to cover for Neptune. Just fire him and hire someone who would actually show up." Jaune ranted as he put on his shirt. "And stop coming in the dressing room while I'm changing." He added.

"Okay, first of all, I have given you express permission to walk in on me, and Velvet doesn't complain when I walk in on her. And secondly... We kinda have a deal I don't fire him and he gives me..." Coco, a 25 year old woman with chestnut hair with a burnt tip and hazel eyes, dragged out.

"What is it? Money?" Jaune started. "Drugs? _Sex?_" He finished incredulously.

"I have enough, not interested, and gross." Coco answered Jaune's question. "It's..ex...in...it." She grumbled.

"Speak up, please." Jaune said as he put on his jacket.

"Ugh! It's items! He gives me exclusive items in Beacon Of Hope if I don't fire him!" She confessed.

Jaune stared at Coco with disappointment in his eyes. "Items for a game? You don't fire a person in real life because they give you items for a game?" He asked flatly.

"Ah! Don't stare at me like that! I know I have a problem, but the things he finds are so cute and fashionable! If I didn't have a job I could be looking for them myself! But I have responsibilities in the real world, so I just pay him to do it for me!" Coco ranted out her excuse.

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal." Jaune said with a sigh.

"I know, it's a serious problem." Coco said sadly.

"Still find a replacement cook, I can't keep covering. I'm serious, Coco. You said it yourself you have responsibilities in the real world, and one of them should be making sure your restaurant doesn't fall apart." Jaune lectured his boss.

"Ugh! Fine, Dad." Coco whined.

"Hmm, yeah no, don't call me that."

"Do you prefer Daddy?"

"_Goodbye_ Coco."

* * *

It was past 2pm when Jaune arrived at his apartment, police sirens mixed with ambulances were a constant.

Jaune walked up to the fifth floor, when he reached his room there was an obstacle blocking his entry. He squatted down to eye level and spoke slowly. "Reese, what are you doing here?"

Reese was a 21 year old girl with green dyed hair and, normally she had green eyes, but right now her eyes were red and bloodshot. "H-hey Z-Zaune, I ju-juzz n-needzz a plaze-laze zo cr-cr-craszzz." She stuttered in slow and slurred words as she twitched.

Jaune internally sighed. "Make yourself at home." He knew she was trouble, even when she wasn't hyped up on whatever, but she was still his friend.

"Zhankz!" Reese shouted and lunged at Jaune from her spot, she wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck. "Y-y-yourzz zzzuzzh a g-goood fr-fr-iend-d!"

Jaune wrapped an arm around Reese as he stood up, be unlocked his door and carried his friend to a couch.

After dropping Reese off, he went to his fridge a took out three beers, Jaune sat on his counter and chugged the first one.

"What is my life?" Jaune asked himself as he started on his second beer.

The cold draft from a broken window filled the room, the draft was accompanied by the sounds of Jaune's neighbors banging against the wall and moaning.

Jaune hated his life, and he wasn't the only one, the world was in the worst states it's ever been in.

People hate this world so much, they found ways to escape.

Big shots and billionaires had successfully built an orbiting paradise.

While street rats used drugs.

And In the middle, Beacon Of Hope.

It was a free to play video game that took place in virtual reality, it was set in a world abandoned by Gods about to be overrun by monsters.

Or at least that was the plot seven years ago, when Jaune last played.

Beacon Of Hope wasn't like any other game, not because of the plot of something like that, no it was one of a kind because of the mechanics.

It downloaded your consciousness, virtually transporting you into a fake world, where you could be or do anything.

Time was sped up in the fake world, one day out here was about one month in the game.

People like Neptune played the game non-stop, collecting things and getting paid real money by people who didn't have time to explore the world.

Jaune started on his third beer, the moaning had gotten louder, on the other side of Jaune, he could hear two men arguing, then a gunshot and silence from them.

The moaning didn't stop, and Jaune continued to drink his beer.

Car alarms were added to the sounds of the night, outside Jaune's window he could see a burning building a few blocks down.

A figure fell past Jaune's window screaming, it was silenced a moment later.

Jaune couldn't hold his bottle, he was shaking, his eyes were streaming tears, and he sat in silence as the world fell apart.

Jaune was snapped out his state when his phone buzzed.

He drank the rest of his beer in one swig, and sighed. He was getting tired of breaking down.

He lazily checked his phone.

**_From Beacon Of Hope: A Necromancer has just reanimated your Corpse. Welcome Back! For more details Log On._**

Jaune was in disbelief.

Actual disbelief, he didn't believe for a second this was true, he deleted the message, he knew you only got one life in that game.

Jaune got off his counter, and stumbled to his bed, he ignored Reese, who was sleeping on his bed even after he left her on the couch.

Jaune, as weird as it sounds couldn't sleep in the real world, he would log on to Beacon Of Hope, and be met with a screen telling him to log off. He wouldn't log off, he would just let himself drift endlessly through a void, all his senses were taken from him.

Leaving only his mind and nothing else, this was his escape.

So, he was a little miffed when that message he got turned out to be true.

**_[Welcome Back! You last Logged On 214 years ago._**

**_A Necromancer has reanimated your Corpse._**

**_In this situation, you would only be able to Log On as long as your Master summoned you, you can log off normally._**

**_Currently, your Master is attempting to summon you, will you answer?]_**

Jaune let himself float, his mind occupied by other thoughts, and memories.

He decided to answer his Master's summon.

* * *

"Why isn't it working!?" A short girl dressed in a red hood and cloak complained, she turned to her friend. A red crow.

"I can summon you just fine, this Knight just won't come, ever since I found the corpse I've been trying. What am I doing wrong, Birdie?" She asked her bird.

It cawed at her.

"You're no help." She huffed.

Then, the summoning crest started to glow, it turned blood red and started leaking.

A figure completely covered in white, now stained red, armour appeared out of the pool of blood, he took a knee in front of the girl who summoned him.

For a moment neither spoke.

The sun shined brightly, no smoke or smog clogged the light.

"Hello, I'm Ruby, I'm your Master now, understood?"

"Gurk-Krg." The Undead Knight answered.

"I'll take that as a yes."


End file.
